India - Haryana government motivate farmers to grow horticulture crops

AHMEDABAD: Area under horticulture crops in Haryana has reached about 6.40% of the total cropped area of the state as a result of the drive of the state government to motivate the farmers to grow horticulture crops in place of traditional ones.

A spokesman of the horticulture department said that the efforts of the state government to encourage the farmers for diversification of crops had shown encouraging results. During the year 2010-11, the area under vegetable cultivation was 3,46,400 hectares. Apart from this, farmers were also taking keen interest in replacing their traditional crops by other commercial horticulture crops like flowers and spices.

He said that during the current financial year up to October 2011, fruit production of over 14.92 lakh tonnes was achieved by bringing 1,525 hectares of additional area under fruit cultivation and total area had increased to 47,775 hectares under fruit cultivation. Over 16.96 lakh tonnes of vegetables were produced by bringing over 1.93 lakh hectares of area under vegetable cultivation.

He said that 58,230 tonnes of spices had been produced through cultivation over an area of 9,580 hectares. Medicinal plants and flowers were grown over an area of 890 hectares and 3,360 hectares, respectively during the same period, he added.

Source: The Economic Times

The Hindu : Cities / Madurai : Stress on increasing horticulture produce

The Department of Horticulture will take up many projects including development of various farms like mango, coco, chillies and pepper in 3,715 acres, at a total estimated cost of Rs.7.48 crore this year, said Collector K. Nagarajan.

He was presiding over the agriculturists' grievances day meeting held here on Friday.

Main aim of these programmes was to increase production of horticulture produces, including vegetables, spices and flowers. These projects will be implemented with the participation of farmers.

Farm equipment will be given to farmers at a subsidized rate, financial assistance for setting up of vermi-compost unit and seeds and saplings at 50 per cent subsidy would also be provided.

Total rain fall received in the district was slightly higher than the average rainfall in November. The district had received 806.51 mm rain against the average rain of 771 mm. Sufficient stock of agriculture inputs and fertilisers were kept ready for distribution. “At present, we have 2,316 tonnes of urea, 223 tonnes of DAP, 72 tonnes of potash and 1,834 tonnes of complex fertilisers. Farmers should check the price printed on the bag before buying it. Officials should identify beneficiaries and take all schemes to farmers quickly”, he advised.

Source: The Hindu : Cities / Madurai : Stress on increasing horticulture produce

Bengal promoting horticulture, food processing in a big way

The Hindu Business Line reports - Targeting the “tremendous potential”, the West Bengal Government is actively promoting the horticulture sector through a central scheme that encourages food processing in the private, public and joint sectors to generate employment.

“Since the agri-horticulture sector in the State holds tremendous potential, there is immense potential for employment generation and growth of self-employment,” the Food Processing Industries and Horticulture Minister, Mr Abu Hena, told PTI.

The central scheme, the National Horticulture Mission (NHM), aims to promote the horticulture sector, covering fruits, vegetables, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, cashew and cocoa.

Read full article: The Hindu Business Line

Horticulture Dept Organizes Growers Tour Program

Srinagar, India Nov 19: Seeking to promote private floriculture business in the Valley, the Floriculture Department Kashmir organized a two-day µtour program of growers.

Sheikh Shabir Ahmad, District Floriculture Officer, Srinagar told Greater Kashmir that the program facilitated interaction between growers from Srinagar with their professional counterparts in other districts of J&K.

“The objective of the programme was to boost private floriculture business,” Ahmad added. He said the registered growers from Srinagar district during the program shared their experiences with and learned from their professional counterparts from other districts. He said the visit was conducted under centrally Sponsored Scheme RKVY on Nov 18 and 19. He said the department acted as a facilitator.

Source: www.greaterkashmir.com

Video - Plants in Landour & Mussoorie, India

First part of this short short video showcases the plant diversity in Landour & Mussoorie. Landour, a small cantonment town contiguous with Mussoorie, is about 35 km (22 miles) from the city of Dehradun in the northern state of Uttarakhand in India. The twin towns of Mussoorie and Landour, together, are a well-known British Raj-era hill station in northern India.

An online Market Information database is available for queries via the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research. The online tool allows the user to set Market regions, crop and date filters.

The tool is accessible at this link: http://www.iihr.res.in/frmMarketInformation.aspx

Below is a sample screenshot of the Market Information tool (click on image to see larger image).

A Case Study of India's Horticulture

A 2007 World Bank report From Competition At Home to Competing Abroad: A Case Study of India’s horticulture examines the paradox that while India is a large, low cost agricultural producer, its share in global agriculture exports is minuscule. India produces nearly 11 per cent of all the world’s vegetables and 15 per cent of all fruits, yet its share in global exports of vegetables is only 1.7 per cent and in fruits a meager 0.5 per cent.

The report says that Indian exporters perceive high international transportation costs as the number one external barrier to trade:

In comparison to India, China is currently the world's largest fruit and vegetable producer with a production share of 34%. Despite strong domestic demand, China is among the four top developing country exporters of fresh vegetables. China,  Thailand, Chile and Turkey also account for 58% of developing countries exports of processed fruits and vegetables, though developing countries share as a whole in the exports of processed products is low (36% in 2001).

The report says that Indian exporters perceive high international transportation costs as the number one external barrier to trade:

• India’s international transportation costs are 20–30 per cent higher than those faced by other countries.
• India’s share of exports to any destination declines by ten percentage points for every 1000 kilometers increase in the distance, and any market that is beyond 14,000 kilometers from Indian borders is unlikely to be served by Indian exporters.
• It costs $790 to transport 1 metric tone (MT) of grapes from India to Netherlands—2 to 3 times higher than it takes to transport the same from Chile, although Chile is twice as far from the Netherlands as India.

Link to full report: The World Bank - Case Study

Commodity Bulletins from India's NHB

A set of crop bulletins are available from India's National Horticulture Board. The bulletins provide cultural information for crops such as Vegetables, Fruits, Flowers and Aroma Plants.

The National Horticulture Board (NHB) was set up by the Government of India in 1984 as an autonomous society under the Societies Registration Act 1860. Board has its Head Quarter in Institutional Area, Sector 18, Gurgaon (Haryana).

Link: http://nhb.gov.in/statistics/commodity-bulletin.html

Contact Information:
National Horticulture Board
Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India
85, Institutional Area, Sector - 18
Gurgaon - 122015 (Haryana)
Telephone 0124-2342992, 2347441, 2342989-90 FAX : 2342991
Website: http://www.nhb.gov.in

Jobs in the Tea Industry

Article in DNAIndia.com reports on various job positions that exisits in the Tea industry within India. While a Tea tasting job is very specialized, there are others that include researchers, plantation managers, tea brokers consultants, etc.

Those who have a basic educational background can get into the tea industry and pick up the skills required on the job, a degree in agricultural science or a BSc in botany, food sciences or horticulture is preferred these days.

Read full article at DNAIndia.com>

India's shift in focus boosts flower exports

The Financial Express reports that India is gradually regaining its position as a key exporter of cut flowers, mainly carnation and gladiolus, notwithstanding an appreciating rupee and growing domestic demand.

Read full article at the Financial Express site>

India: Lal Bagh flower show to start on Friday

BANGALORE: Life is like a basket of flowers; you never know how many varieties you will get. Check these out: dinosaurs made of 50,000 flowers, mermaids of roses and 120 new species.

Get ready to see the Garden City's famous flower show in Lalbagh on Friday. Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa will inaugurate the `Indian Independence Day Horticultural Show 2009' at the Glass House, Lalbagh. Nearly 720 species will be displayed, of which 120 among them, including tulips, wax-flower, nebrane and rice-flower are introduced for the first time. Apart from indigenous varieties, 80 foreign species are likely to be the attraction this year. Teddy bears, rabbits, fish, elephants and deer made of flowers will woo children. Ikebana, Indian floral art, vegetable carving, Dutch flower arrangements, dry flowers, Thai art, Jannur and Bonsai shows will open on August 8 and 9. Nearly 1,200 participants will compete under different sections.

Tickets will cost Rs 30 on weekdays and Rs 40 on weekends, while those under 12 years will be charge Rs 10. Tickets can be bought from Lalbagh main gate, Double Road gate, Siddapura gate, Basavanagudi gate and 200 Hopcom centres. Online tickets won't be available now because they were not effective last year. However, the show's popularity has risen to an unprecedented level with six lakh visitors forecasted this year. Last year's attendance was 3.5 lakh people.

Source>

So, who says life can't be a bed of roses?

Bangalore: Floriculture or flower farming, as it is popularly known, is a discipline of Horticulture, and is the study of growing and marketing flowers and foliage plants. Floriculture includes cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for sales or for use as raw materials in cosmetic and perfume industry and the pharmaceutical sector. The persons associated with this field are called floriculturists.

Karnataka is the leader in floriculture, accounting for 75% of India's total flower production. The employment opportunities in this field are as varied as the nature of work itself. One can join the field of floriculture as farm/estate managers, plantation experts and supervisors, project coordinators etc. Research and teaching are some other avenues of employment in the field. Marketing of Floriculture products for different ventures is emerging as a potential segment of this field. Read more from DNAInida.com>

Horticultural haven

By RAJESH AHUJA in Chandigarh

The future of agriculture in Haryana is surely bright, Hooda quipped. The government has been encouraging farmers to diversify and adopt horticulture in a big way. It has already become lucrative as horticultural crops give more returns per unit area and require less water for irrigation than wheat, paddy and other cereal crops. Fruit plantations, floriculture, hybrid vegetables, mushroom cultivation, bee-keeping (apiculture) and fish farming are steadily attracting farmers, entrepreneurs, investors and businessmen in the State.

Haryana is fast emerging as a horticultural State: it stands fifth in cauliflower production, sixth in pea production, seventh in cabbage, onion, tomato and okra production, ninth in brinjal production and 10th in potato production. Read more>

Video: Golden Shower Trees in full blossom

Golden Shower Trees (Cassia Fistula) or konna in malayalam planted long back on a World Environment Day at Kaiga Township in full blossom during April-May

Love hormone being used to boost plant growth

Photo: Love hormone being used to boost plant growth in India (Getty Images)

A large number of Indian farmers are using the love hormone oxytocin, also known as "cuddle chemical", to boost the growth of pumpkins and cucumbers. However, the Indian Ministry of Agriculture is adamant on banning the practice, as "indiscriminate use of oxytocin may cause health hazards if taken through vegetables over a period of time". The use of oxytocin in farming has become prevalent in the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab regions in northern India, Oxytocin is known to affect social behaviour in humans, as well as facilitating birth and breastfeeding, reports New Scientist magazine. However, it is still unclear how this animal hormone might stimulate plant development.

Bandhara at Khadki affecting horticulture

By Rajendra P Kerkar , TNN
KERI: Farmers have raised fears that the incomplete vasant bandhara being constructed by the water resources department may pose a serious threat to the horticulture plantations in Khadki village of Sattari as it leads to flooding of river banks and also causes erosion. "The lack of understanding of the topography while building the bandhara has transformed it into an eye sore. It has been causing us losses for the last three years," says Baburao Anasaheb Rane, an aggrieved horticulturist from Khadki, explaining how the trees in his property have been affected by soil erosion. Read more>

India: Detailed study on anvil to develop agriculture, horticulture in Kutch on Israeli model

The government has decided to conduct a detailed study of the entire desert area of Kutch to develop agriculture and horticulture activity on the lines of the Israeli model.

The Agriculture Department will soon direct senior scientists of Junagadh, Dantiwada and Anand Agriculture universities to carry out a comprehensive study of the Kutch desert and submit a report on it.

State Agriculture Minister Dilip Sanghani announced this in the House on Thursday in response to a plea by BJP legislators from the arid Kutch district during a debate on the budgetary demands of the department.

After the agro-scientists submit their report, the government will make all possible efforts to encourage the maximum sowing of agriculture and horticulture crops and their production in the desert district.

Read more>

India: Financial assistance for urban horticulture

TIRUNELVELI: If you are planning to beautify your home with a kitchen garden or roof garden with fruits and vegetables, you can get financial assistance from Indian Overseas Bank.
According to the Senior Regional Manager, IOB, S. Ramadoss, many independent houses, bungalows, guest houses, offices and private institutions in the urban areas have an open space inside the compound and on the terrace, which can be used for horticultural purposes like raising kitchen garden, flower garden, small orchards or roof gardens. Read more>

A career in Flowers: Floriculture

by Lavanya_J_Manour

Does a bouquet of bright, red roses make you happy? Do you like to decorate your home with flowers? Or just plain love flowers? The how about making a career with flowers and plants? Be a floriculturist.

Floriculture first took birth in England about two centuries before where flowers were grown in large estates for commercial reasons. Soon it was taken up seriously by many other countries as well. The floral industry today has grown by leaps and bounds and includes various other aspects other than growing flowers. In India, Floriculture industry comprises flower trade, production of nursery plants and potted plants, seed and bulb production, and extraction of essential oils. The industry is growing at the rate of 25% a year. Still the field is under explored. Read more>

Rs 6.18cr funds for horticulture since 2005

PANAJI: Union minister of state for agriculture K V Thomas has told MP Shantaram Naik in a written reply that Rs 6.18 crore has been given as financial assistance to Goa, from 2005-06 to 2008-09, towards the implementation of the National Horticulture Mission. The mission was launched in the state in 2005-06, he stated. Read more: